WIKIPEDIA OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, !'oUpEk/ OH-pek) is an intergovernmental Organization of the Petroleum organization of 13 nations. Founded on 14 September 1960 Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), it has since 1965 been headquartered in Vienna, Austria, although Austria is not an OPEC member state. As of September 2018, the 13 member countries accounted for an estimated 44 percent of global oil production and 81.5 percent of the world's Flag "proven" oil reserves, giving OPEC a major influence on global oil prices that were previously determined by the so- called "Seven Sisters" grouping of multinational oil companies. A larger group called OPEC+ was formed in late 2016, to have more control on global crude oil market.! The demand for OPEC oil has fallen to a 30-year low in second quarter of 2020.[61 The stated mission of the organization is to "coordinate and Headquarters Vienna, Austria unify the petroleum policies of its member countries and Official English ensure the stabilization of oil markets, in order to secure an language efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers, and a fair return Type International cartel[1] on capital for those investing in the petroleum industry."[71 Membership 13 states The organization is also a significant provider of (March 2020) [2][3][4] information about the international oil market. The current Algeria OPEC members are the following: Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Angola Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia (the De Congo facto leader), the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Equatorial Guinea Former OPEC members are Ecuador, Indonesia and Gabon Qatar. 181 Iran* Iraq* The formation of OPEC marked a turning point toward national sovereignty over natural resources, and OPEC Kuwait* decisions have come to play a prominent role in the global Libya oil market and international relations. The effect can be Nigeria particularly strong when wars or civil disorders lead to Saudi Arabia* extended interruptions in supply. In the 1970s, restrictions in United Arab Emirates oil production led to a dramatic rise in oil prices and in the Venezuela* revenue and wealth of OPEC, with long-lasting and far- * founding member reaching consequences for the global economy. In the 1980s, OPEC began setting production targets for its Leaders member nations; generally, when the targets are reduced, oil . Secretary Mohammed Barkindo prices increase. This has occurred most recently from the General organization's 2008, and 2016 decisions to trim oversupply. Establishment Baghdad, Iraq . Statute September 1960Economists often cite OPEC as a textbook example of a . In effect January 1961 cartel that cooperates to reduce market competition, but one Currency Indexed as USD per barrel whose consultations are protected by the doctrine of state (US$/bbl) immunity under international law. In December 2014, 'OPEC and the oil men" ranked as #3 on Lloyd's list of Website OPEC.org (http://www.opec.org/) "the top 100 most influential people in the shipping industry". However, the influence of OPEC on international trade is periodically challenged by the expansion of non-OPEC energy sources, and by the recurring temptation for individual OPEC countries to exceed production targets and pursue conflicting self-interests. In October 2019, Saudi Arabia invited Brazil to join OPEC.TO The president of Petrobras, Roberto Castello Branco, in an interview in New York, said that being a member of OPEC is not an option currently considered by the Brazilian federal government. [11] Contents History and impact Post-WWII situation 1959-1960 anger from exporting countries 1960-1975 founding and expansion 1973-1974 oil embargo 1975-1980 Special Fund, now OFID 1975 hostage siege 1979-1980 oil crisis and 1980s oil glut 1990-2003 ample supply and modest disruptions 2003-2011 volatility 2008 production dispute 2014-2017 oil glut 2017-2020 production cut and OPEC+ 2020 Saudi-Russian price war Membership Current member countries Lapsed members OPEC+ members Observers Vienna Group Leadership and decision-making International cartel Conflicts Market information Publications and research Crude oil benchmarks Spare capacity See also ReferencesFurther reading External links History and impact Post-WWII situation In 1949, Venezuela and Iran took the earliest steps in the direction of OPEC, by inviting Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to improve communication among petroleum-exporting nations as the world recovered from World War II. 2 At the time, some of the world's largest oil fields were just entering production in the Middle East. The United States had established the Interstate Oil Compact Commission to join the Texas Railroad Commission in limiting overproduction. The US was simultaneously the world's largest producer and consumer of oil; and the world market was dominated by a group of multinational companies known as the 'Seven Sisters", five of which were headquartered in the US following the breakup of John D. Rockefeller's original Standard Oil monopoly. Oil-exporting countries were eventually motivated to form OPEC as a counterweight to this concentration of political and economic power. [13] 1959-1960 anger from exporting countries In February 1959, as new supplies were becoming available, the multinational oil companies (MOCs) unilaterally reduced their posted prices for Venezuelan and Middle Eastern crude oil by 10 percent. Weeks later, the Arab League's first Arab Petroleum Congress convened in Cairo, Egypt, where the influential journalist Wanda Jablonski introduced Saudi Arabia's Abdullah Tariki to Venezuela's observer Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, representing the two then-largest oil-producing nations outside the United States and the Soviet Union. Both oil ministers were angered by the price cuts, and the two led their fellow delegates to establish the Maadi Pact or Gentlemen's Agreement, calling for an "Oil Consultation Commission" of exporting countries, to which MOCs should present price-change plans. Jablonski reported a marked hostility toward the West and a growing outcry against "absentee landlordism" of the MOCs, which at the time controlled all oil operations within the exporting countries and wielded enormous political influence. In August 1960, ignoring the warnings, and with the US favoring Canadian and Mexican oil for strategic reasons, the MOCs again unilaterally announced significant cuts in their posted prices for Middle Eastern crude oil. [12][13][14][15] 1960-1975 founding and expansion The following month, during 10-14 September 1960, the Baghdad Conference was held at the initiative of Tariki, Perez Alfonzo, and Iraqi prime minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, whose country had skipped the 1959 congress. Government representatives from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela met in Baghdad to discuss ways to increase the price of crude oil produced by their countries, and ways to respond to unilateral actions by the MOCs. Despite strong US opposition: "Together with Arab and non-Arab producers, Saudi Arabia formed the Organization of Petroleum Export Countries (OPEC) to secure the best price available from the major oil OPEC headquarters in Vienna corporations." The Middle Eastern members originally called for (2009 building) OPEC headquarters to be in Baghdad or Beirut, but Venezuela argued for a neutral location, and so the organization chose Geneva, Switzerland. On 1 September 1965, OPEC moved to Vienna, Austria, after Switzerland declined to extend diplomatic privileges. [18]During 1961-1975, the five founding nations were joined by Qatar (1961), Indonesia (1962-2008, rejoined 2014-2016), Libya (1962), United Arab Emirates (originally just the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, 1967), Algeria (1969), Nigeria (1971), Ecuador (1973-1992, 2007-2020), and Gabon (1975-1994, rejoined 2016). 2 By the early 1970s, OPEC's membership accounted for more than half of worldwide oil production. Indicating that OPEC is not averse to further expansion, Mohammed Barkindo, OPEC's Acting Secretary General in 2006, urged his African neighbors Angola and Sudan to join, 20] and Angola did in 2007, followed by Equatorial Guinea in 2017. Since the 1980s, representatives from Egypt, Mexico, Norway, Oman, Russia, and other oil-exporting nations have attended many OPEC meetings as observers, as an informal mechanism for coordinating policies. [21] In 1971, an accord was signed between major oil companies and members of OPEC doing business in the Mediterranean Sea region, called the Tripoli Agreement. The agreement, signed on 2 April 1971, raised oil prices and increased producing countries' profit shares. [22] 1973-1974 oil embargo In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC, consisting of the Arab majority of OPEC plus Egypt and Syria) declared significant production cuts and an oil embargo against the United States and other industrialized nations that supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War. 231124) A previous embargo PUMPS attempt was largely ineffective in response to the Six-Day War in CLOSED 1967.125 However, in 1973, the result was a sharp rise in oil prices and OPEC revenues, from US$3/bbl to US$12/bbl, and an emergency period of energy rationing, intensified by panic reactions, An undersupplied US gasoline a declining trend in US oil production, currency devaluations, 24 and station, closed during the oil a lengthy UK coal-miners dispute. For a time, the UK imposed an embargo in 1973 emergency three-day workweek. 26 Seven European nations banned non-essential Sunday driving. 2 US gas stations limited the amount of gasoline that could be dispensed, closed on Sundays, and restricted the days when gasoline could be purchased, based on license plate numbers. [281129] Even after the embargo ended in March 1974, following intense diplomatic activity, prices continued to rise. The world experienced a global economic recession, with unemployment and inflation surging simultaneously, steep declines in stock and bond prices, major shifts in trade balances and petrodollar flows, and a dramatic end to the post-WWII economic boom. [30131] The 1973-1974, oil embargo had lasting effects on the United States and other industrialized nations, which established the International Energy Agency in response, as well as national emergency stockpiles designed to withstand months of future supply disruptions. Oil conservation efforts included lower speed limits on highways, smaller and more energy-efficient cars and appliances, year-round daylight saving time, reduced usage of heating and air-conditioning, better insulation, increased support of mass transit, and greater emphasis on coal, natural gas, ethanol, nuclear and other alternative energy sources. These long-term efforts became effective enough that US oil consumption would rise only 11 percent during 1980-2014, while real GDP rose 150 percent. But in the 1970s, OPEC nations demonstrated convincingly that their oil could be used as both a political and economic weapon against other nations, at least in the short term. [24 132][33][34][35] But the embargo also meant that a section of the Non-Aligned Movement saw power as a source of hope for their developing countries. The Algerian president Houari Boumediene expressed this hope in a speech at the UN's 6th Special Session in April 1974:The OPEC action is really the first illustration and at the same time the most concrete and most spectacular illustration of the importance of raw material prices for our countries, the vital need for the producing countries to operate the levers of price control, and lastly, the great possibilities of a union of raw material producing countries. This action should be viewed by the developing countries as an example and a source of hope. [36] 1975-1980 Special Fund, now OFID OPEC's international aid activities date from well before the 1973- 1974 oil price surge. For example, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has operated since 1961.[371 In the years after 1973, as an example of so-called "checkbook diplomacy", certain Arab nations have been among the world's largest A woman uses wood in a fireplace for heat. A newspaper headline in the providers of foreign aid, 381139) and OPEC added to its goals the foreground shows a story regarding a selling of oil for the socio-economic growth of poorer nations. The lack of heating oil in the community. OPEC Special Fund was conceived in Algiers, Algeria, in March 1975, and was formally established the following January. "A Solemn Declaration 'reaffirmed the natural solidarity which unites OPEC countries with other developing countries in their struggle to overcome underdevelopment,' and called for measures to strengthen cooperation between these countries... [The OPEC Special Fund's] resources are additional to those already made available by OPEC states through a number of bilateral and multilateral channels." The Fund became an official international development agency in May 1980 and was renamed the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), 4 with Permanent Observer status at the United Nations. [42] 1975 hostage siege On 21 December 1975, Saudi Arabia's Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Iran's Jamshid Amuzegar, and the other OPEC oil ministers were taken hostage at their semi-annual conference in Vienna, Austria. The attack, which killed hree non-ministers, was orchestrated by a six-person team led by Venezuelan militant "Carlos the Jackal", and which included Gabriele Krocher-Tiedemann and Hans-Joachim Klein. The self-named "Arm of the Arab Revolution" group declared its goal to be the liberation of Palestine. Carlos planned to take over the conference by force and hold for ransom all eleven attending oil ministers, except for Yamani and Amuzegar who were to be executed. [43] Carlos arranged bus and plane travel for his team and 42 of the original 63 hostages, with stops in Algiers and Tripoli, planning to fly eventually to Baghdad, where Yamani and Amuzegar were to be killed. All 30 non- Arab hostages were released in Algiers, excluding Amuzegar. Additional hostages were released at another stop in Tripoli before returning to Algiers. With only 10 hostages remaining, Carlos held a phone conversation with Algerian President Houari Boumedienne, who informed Carlos that the oil ministers' deaths would result in an attack on the plane. Boumedienne must also have offered Carlos asylum at this time and possibly financial compensation for failing to complete his assignment. Carlos expressed his regret at not being able to murder Yamani and Amuzegar, then he and his comrades left the plane. All the hostages and terrorists walked away from the situation, two days after it began. 43]Some time after the attack, Carlos's accomplices revealed that the operation was commanded by Wadie Haddad, a founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. They also claimed that the idea and funding came from an Arab president, widely thought to be Muammar al-Gadda of Libya, itself an OPEC member. Fellow militants Bassam Abu Sharif and Klein claimed that Carlos received and kept a ransom between US$20 million and US$50 million from "an Arab president". Carlos claimed that Saudi Arabia paid ransom on behalf of Iran, but that the money was "diverted en route and lost by the Revolution".[43][44] He was nally captured in 1994 and is serving life sentences for at least 16 other murdersliSJ 19791980 oil crisis and 19803 oil glut Humane-mun\" In response to a wave of oil nationalizations and the high prices of the 1970s, industrial nations took steps to reduce their dependence on OPEC oil, especially after prices reached new peaks approaching _ US$40/bbl in 19791980[48][49] when the Iranian Revolution and i IranIrag War disrupted regional stability and oil supplies. Electric E E utilities worldwide switched from oil to coal, natural gas, or nuclear m power;w national governments initiated multibillion-dollar research an programs to develop alternatives to oil;[51][52] and commercial a . I . . . . I . . . I exploration developed major nonOPEC oilfields in Siberia, Alaska, 1"\" '5'\" 1"\" 1m *9\" \"95 W m m 2\"\" the North Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.[531 By 1986, daily worldwide Fluctuations Of OPEC net 0" export demand for oil dropped by 5 million barrels, non-OPEC production revenues since 1972M rose by an even-larger amount,@ and OPEC's market share sank from approximately 50 percent in 1979 to less than 30 percent in 1985. Illustrating the volatile multi-year timeframes of typical market cycles for natural resources, the result was a sixyear decline in the price of oil, which culminated by plunging more than half in 1986 alone As one oil analyst summarized succinctly: "When the price of something as essential as oil spikes, humanity does two things: finds more of it and finds ways to use less of RTE To combat falling revenue from oil sales, in 1982 Saudi Arabia pressed OPEC for audited national production guotas in an attempt to limit output and boost prices. When other OPEC nau'ons failed to comply, Saudi Arabia first slashed its own production from 10 million barrels daily in 197971981 to just onethird of that level in 1985. When even this proved ineffective, Saudi Arabia reversed course and ooded the market with cheap oil, causing prices to fall below US$10/bbl and higher-cost producers to become unprofitable.[MESS]:127128'136_137 Faced with increasing economic hardship (which ultimately contributed to the collapse of the Soviet bloc in 1989),[57][58] the "free-riding" oil exporters that had previously failed to comply with OPEC agreements nally began to limit production to shore up prices, based on painstakingly negotiated national quotas that sought to balance oil-related and economic criteria since 198654159] (Within their sovereign-controlled territories, the national governments of OPEC members are able to impose production limits on both government-owned and private oil companies.)@ Generally when OPEC production targets are reduced, oil prices increase 19902003 ample supply and modest disruptions One of the hundreds of Kuwaiti oil fires set by retreating Iraqi troops in 1991 62] 160 2-1420 0 140 brent crude oil (USD/barrel) 120 100 80 27-Sept-1931 40 20 Fluctuations of Brent crude oil price, 1988-2015[63] Leading up to his August 1990 Invasion of Kuwait, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was pushing OPEC to end overproduction and to send oil prices higher, in order to help OPEC members financially and to accelerate rebuilding from the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War. But these two Iraqi wars against fellow OPEC founders marked a low point in the cohesion of the organization, and oil prices subsided quickly after the short-term supply disruptions. The September 2001 Al Qaeda attacks on the US and the March 2003 US invasion of Iraq had even milder short-term impacts on oil prices, as Saudi Arabia and other exporters again cooperated to keep the world adequately supplied. [63] In the 1990s, OPEC lost its two newest members, who had joined in the mid-1970s. Ecuador withdrew in December 1992, because it was unwilling to pay the annual US$2 million membership fee and felt that it needed to produce more oil than it was allowed under the OPEC quota, 5 although it rejoined in October 2007. Similar concerns prompted Gabon to suspend membership in January 1995;166] it rejoined in July 2016. 2 Iraq has remained a member of OPEC since the organization's founding, but Iraqi production was not a part of OPEC quota agreements from 1998 to 2016, due to the country's daunting political difficulties. 671[68] Lower demand triggered by the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis saw the price of oil fall back to 1986 levels. After oil slumped to around US$10/bbl, joint diplomacy achieved a gradual slowing of oil production by OPEC, Mexico and Norway. After prices slumped again in Nov. 2001, OPEC, Norway, Mexico, Russia, Oman and Angola agreed to cut production on 1 Jan. 2002 for 6 months. OPEC contributed 1.5 million barrels a day (mbpd) to the approximately 2 mbpd of cuts announced. 56]In June 2003, the Intemau'onal Energy Agency (IEA) and OPEC held their first joint workshop on energy issues. They have continued to meet regularly since then, "to collectively better understand trends, analysis and viewpoints and advance market transparency and predictability."m 20032011 volatility Widespread insurgency and sabotage occurred during the 20032008 height of the American occupation of Ir_amq, coinciding with rapidly increasing oil demand from China and commodity-hungry investors, recurring violence against the Nigerian oil indusgy, and dwindling spare capacity as a cushion against potenu'al shortages. This combination of forces prompted a sharp rise in oil prices to levels far higher than those previously targeted by OPECW Price volatility reached an extreme in 2008, as WTI crude oil surged to a record US$147/bbl in July and then plunged back to US$32/bbl in December, during the worst global recession since World War HE OPEC's annual oil export revenue also set a new record in 2008, estimated around US$1 trillion, and reached similar annual rates in 20112014 (along with extensive petrodollar recycling activity) before plunging again By the time of the 2011 Libyan Civil War and Arab Spring, OPEC stalted issuing explicit statements to counter "excessive speculation" in oil futures markets, blaming financial speculators for increasing volatility beyond market fundamentals In May 2008, Indonesia announced that it would leave OPEC when its membership expired at the end of that year, having become a net importer of oil and being unable to meet its production quota A statement released by OPEC on 10 September 2008 conrmed Indonesia's withdrawal, noting that OPEC "regretfully accepted the wish of Indonesia to suspend its full membership in the organization, and recorded its hope that the country would be in a position to rejoin the organization in the nottoodistant future."m 2008 production dispute The differing economic needs of OPEC member states often affect the w! ' internal debates behind OPEC production quotas. Poorer members '4. .. ' - have pushed for production cuts from fellow members, to increase the I ._.. '1 . \"3' price of oil and thus their own revenues These proposals conflict with Saudi Arabia's stated longterm strategy of being a partner with the world's economic powers to ensure a steady ow of oil that would Countries by net oil exports (2008) support economic expansion Part of the basis for this policy is the Saudi concern that overly expensive oil or unreliable supply will drive industrial nations to conserve energy and develop alternative fuels, cultailing the worldwide demand for oil and eventually leaving unneeded barrels in the groundw To this point, Saudi Oil Minister Yamani famously remarked in 1973: "The Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of stones."M On 10 September 2008, with oil prices still near US$100/bbl, a production dispute occurred when the Saudis reportedly walked out of a negou'ating session where rival members voted to reduce OPEC output. Although Saudi delegates ofcially endorsed the new quotas, they stated anonymously that they would not observe them. The New York Times quoted one such delegate as saying: "Saudi Arabia will meet the market's demand. We will see what the market requires and we will not leave a customer without oil. The policy has not changed.\"@ Over the next few months, oil prices plummeted into the $305, and did not return to $100 until the Libyan Civil War in 2011.@ 20142017 oil glut 33W Wm 19?3n215 12 0 = -= 1: ,_ .. ., ,_= ,_.. =1. Immrnmulmmmnnmu Top oilproducing countriesw (million barrels per day, 19732016) During 20142015, OPEC members consistently exceeded their production ceiling, and China experienced a slowdown in economic growth. At the same time, US oil production nearly doubled from 2008 levels and approached the world-leading "swing producer" volumes of Saudi Arabia and Russia, due to the substantial longterm improvement and spread of shale "fracking" technology in response to the years of record oil prices. These developments led in turn to a plunge in US oil import requirements (moving closer to energy independence), a record volume of worldwide oil inventories, and a collapse in oil prices that continued into early 20mm In spite of global oversupply, on 27 November 2014 in Vienna, Saudi Oil Minister Ali AlNairni blocked appeals from poorer OPEC members for production cuts to support prices. Naimi argued that the oil market should be left to rebalance itself competitively at lower price levels, strategically rebuilding OPEC's long-term market share by ending the profitability of high-cost US shale oil productionm As he explained in an interview:@ Is it reasonable for a highly efficient producer to reduce output, while the producer of poor efficiency continues to produce? That is crooked logic. If I reduce, what happens to my market share? The price will go up and the Russians, the Brazilians, US shale oil producers will take my share... We want to tell the world that high- efficiency producing countries are the ones that deserve market share. That is the operative principle in all capitalist countries... One thing is for sure: Current prices [roughly US$603bl] do not support all producers. A year later, when OPEC met in Vienna on 4 December 2015, the Countries by oil production (2013) Gusher well in Saudi Arabia: conventional source of OPEC production ,7 1;. I r . Shale \"frackrng' in the US: important new challenge to OPEC market share organization had exceeded its production ceiling for 18 consecutive months, US oil production had declined only slightly from its peak, world markets appeared to be oversupplied by at least 2 million barrels per day despite war-torn Libya pumping 1 million barrels below capacity, oil producers were making major adjustments to withstand prices as low as the $40s, Indonesia was rejoining the export organization, Iraqi production had surged after years of disorder, Iranian output was poised to rebound with the lifting of international sanctions, hundreds of world leaders at the Paris Climate Agreement were committing to limit carbon emissions from fossil fuels, and solar technologies were becoming steadily more competitive and prevalent. In light of all these market pressures, OPEC decided to set aside its ineffective production ceiling until the next ministerial conference in June 2016. 89 86 190191 192193) By 20 January 2016, the OPEC Reference Basket was down to US$22.48/bbl - less than one-fourth of its high from June 2014 ($110.48), less than one-sixth of its record from July 2008 ($140.73), and back below the April 2003 starting point ($23.27) of its historic run-up. [83] As 2016 continued, the oil glut was partially trimmed with significant production offline in the US, Canada, Libya, Nigeria and China, and the basket price gradually rose back into the $40s. OPEC regained a modest percentage of market share, saw the cancellation of many competing drilling projects, maintained the status quo at its June conference, and endorsed "prices at levels that are suitable for both producers and consumers", although many producers were still experiencing serious economic difficulties. [94 [95 [96][97] 2017-2020 production cut and OPEC+ As OPEC members grew weary of a multi-year supply-contest with diminishing returns and shrinking financial reserves, the organization finally attempted its first production cut since 2008. Despite many political obstacles, a September 2016 decision to trim approximately 1 million barrels per day was codified by a new quota-agreement at the November 2016 OPEC conference. The agreement (which exempted disruption-ridden members Libya and Nigeria) covered the first half of 2017 - alongside promised reductions from Russia and ten other non-members, offset by expected increases in the US shale-sector, Libya, Nigeria, spare capacity, and surging late-2016 OPEC production before the cuts took effect. Indonesia announced another "temporary suspension" of its OPEC membership rather than accepting the organization's requested 5-percent production- cut. Prices fluctuated around US$50/bbl, and in May 2017 OPEC decided to extend the new quotas through March 2018, with the world waiting to see if and how the oil-inventory glut might be fully siphoned-off by hen. [98][99 ][100 ][101][102[103 13] Longtime oil analyst Daniel Yergin "described the relationship between OPEC and shale as 'mutual coexistence', with both sides learning to live with prices that are lower than they OPEC+.[105][106] would like."[104 These production cut deals with non-OPEC countries are generally referred to as In December 2017, Russia and OPEC agreed to extend the production cut of 1.8million barrels/day until the end of 2018.[107][108] Qatar announced it would withdraw from OPEC effective 1 January 2019. 1091 According to the New York Times, this constitutes a strategic response to the ongoing Qatar blockade by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. [110] On 29 June 2019, Russia again agreed with Saudi Arabia to extend by six to nine months the original production cuts of 2018.[111] In October 2019 Ecuador announced it would withdraw from OPEC on January 1, 2020 due to financial problems facing the country. [1121 In December 2019 OPEC and Russia agreed one of the deepest output cuts so far to prevent oversupply in a deal that will last for the first three months of 2020. [113] 2020 Saudi-Russian price warIn early March 2020, OPEC officials presented an ultimatum to Russia to cut production by 1.5% of world supply. Russia, which foresaw continuing cuts as American shale oil production increased, rejected the demand, ending the three-year partnership between OPEC and major non-OPEC providers. 14 Another factor was weakening global demand resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. 1 This also resulted in OPEC plus' failing to extend the agreement cutting 2.1 million barrels per day that was set to expire at the end of March. Saudi Arabia, which has absorbed a disproportionate amount of the cuts to convince Russia to stay in the agreement, notified its buyers on 7 March that they would raise output and discount their oil in April. This prompted a Brent crude price crash of more than 30% before a slight recovery and widespread turmoil in financial markets.[114] Several pundits saw this as a Saudi-Russian price war, or game of chicken which cause the "other side to blink first" [116][117][1 18 0119] Saudi Arabia had in March 2020 $500 billion of foreign exchange reserves, while at that time Russia's reserves were $580 billion. The debt-to-GDP ratio of the Saudis was 25%, while the Russian ratio was 15%. ! Another remarked that the Saudis can produce oil at as low a price as $3 per barrel, whereas Russia needs $30 per barrel to cover production costs. Another analyst claims that "it's about assaulting the Western economy, especially America's."LO In order to ward of from the oil exporters price war which can make shale oil production uneconomical, US may protect its crude oil market share by passing the NOPEC bill. [120] In April 2020, OPEC and a group of other oil producers, including Russia, agreed to extend production cuts until the end of July. The cartel and its allies agreed to cut oil production in May and June by 9.7 million barrels a day, equal to around 10% of global output, in an effort to prop up prices, which had previously fallen to record lows.[121] Membership Current member countries As of January 2020, OPEC has 13 member countries: five in the Middle East (Western Asia), seven in Africa, and one in South America. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), OPEC's combined rate of oil production (including gas condensate) represented 44 percent of the world's total in 2016, 1221 and OPEC accounted for 81.5 percent of the world's "proven" oil reserves. Approval of a new member country requires agreement by three-quarters of OPEC's existing members, including all five of the founders. 2 In October 2015, Sudan formally submitted an application to join, 124] but it is not yet a member. Qatar left OPEC on 1 January 2019, after joining the organization in 1961, to focus on natural gas production, of which it is the world's largest exporter in the form of liquified natural gas (LNG). [125][126] Ecuador announced that it would leave OPEC on 1 January 2020. 2/ Ecuador's Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources released an official statement on 2 January 2020 which confirmed that Ecuador had left OPEC, 4 though it was still listed as a member state on OPEC's website as of 7 January.2Population Oil Production Country Region Membership Area Years 2 13] 2018 est.)[128][129] (km 2) [130] (bbl/day, Proven Reserves 2016) A [122] (bbl, 2016) A [131] Algeria North Africa 1969- 42,228,408 2,381, 740 1,348,361 12,200,000,000 Angola Southern Africa 2007- 30,809, 787 1,246, 700 1, 769,615 8,423,000,000 Equatorial Central Africa 2017- 1,308,975 28,050 . . . ... Guinea Gabon Central 1975-1995, Africa 2016- 2, 119,275 267,667 210,820 2,000,000,000 Iran Middle East 1960[B]_ 81, 800, 188 1,648,000 3,990,956 157,530,000,000 Iraq Middle East 1960 [B]_ 38,433, 600 437,072 4,451,516 143,069,000,000 Kuwait Middle East 1960[B]- 4, 137,312 17,820 2,923,825 101,500,000,000 Libya North Africa 1962- 6, 678,559 1, 759,540 384, 686 48,363,000, Nigeria West Africa 1971- 195, 874,685 923,768 1,999,885 37,070,000,000 Republic of Central the Congo Africa 2018[132]_ 5, 125,821 342,000 260,000 1, 600,000,000 Saudi Middle Arabia as 1960[B]_ 33, 702,756 2,149,690 10,460, 710 266,578,000,000 United Arak Middle East 1967[C]- 9,630,959 83,600 3,106,077 97,800,000,000 Emirates South Venezuela America 1960[B]_ 28,887,118 912,050 2,276,967 299,953,000,000 OPEC Total 483, 630,000 12,492,695 35, 481, 740 1,210, 703,000,000 World Total 7,814, 707,000 510,072,000 80,622,287 133] 1, 650,585, 000,000 OPEC Percent 6.3% 2.4% 44% 73% A. One petroleum barrel (bbl) is approximately 42 U.S. gallons, or 159 liters, or 0.159 ms, varying slightly with temperature. To put the production numbers in context, a supertanker typically holds 2,000,000 barrels (320,000 ms), [134) and the world's current production rate would take approximately 56 years to exhaust the world's current proven reserves. B. The five founding members attended the first OPEC conference in September 1960. C. The UAE was founded in December 1971. Its OPEC membership originated with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Lapsed membersA number of non-OPEC member countries also participate in the organisation's initiatives such as voluntary supply cuts in order to further bind policy objectives between OPEC and non-OPEC membersg This loose grouping of countries includes: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, Sudan and South Sudanw Leadership and decision-making The OPEC Conference is the supreme authority of the organization, and consists of delegations normally headed by the oil ministers of member countries. The chief executive of the organization is the OPEC Secretary General. The Conference ordinarily meets at the Vienna headquarters, at least twice a year and in additional extraordinary sessions when necessary. It generally operates on the principles of unanimity and \"one member, one vote", with each country paying an equal membership fee into the annual budget However, since Saudi Arabia is by far the largest and most-profitable oil exporter in the world, with enough capacity to function as the traditional swing producer to balance the global market, it serves as "OPEC's de facto leader".@ OPEC Conference delegates at vaissotel, Quito, Ecuador, December 2010 International cartel At various times, OPEC members have displayed apparent anticompetitive cartel behavior through the organization's agreements about oil production and price levelsw In fact, economists often cite OPEC as a textbook example of a cartel that cooperates to reduce market competition, as in this definiu'on from OECD's Glossary of Industrial Organisation Economics and Competition Law:L1] International commodity agreements covering products such as coffee, sugar, tin and more recently oil (OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) are examples of international cartels which have publicly entailed agreements between different national governments. OPEC members strongly prefer to describe their organization as a modest force for market stabilization, rather than a powerful anti-competitive cartel. In its defense, the organization was founded as a counterweight against the previous "Seven Sisters" cartel of multinational oil companies, and nonOPEC energy suppliers have maintained enough market share for a substantial degree of worldwide competition Moreover, because of an economic "prisoner's dilemma" that encourages each member nation individually to discount its price and exceed its production quota,[146] widespread cheating within OPEC often erodes its ability to inuence global oil prices through collective actionm OPEC has not been involved in any disputes related to the competition rules of the World Trade Organization, even though the objectives, acons, and principles of the two organizations diverge considerablyw A key US District Court decision held that OPEC consultations are protected as "governmental" acts of state by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, and are therefore beyond the legal reach of US competition law governing "commercial" actsm Despite popular sentiment against OPEC, legislau've proposals to limit the organization's sovereign immunity, such as the NOPEC Act, have so far been unsuccessful.@ Conflicts OPEC often has difficulty agreeing on policy decisions because its member countries differ widely in their oil export capacities, production costs, reserves, geological features, population, economic development, budgetary situations, and political circumstances. 18182 Indeed, over the course of market cycles, oil reserves can themselves become a source of serious conflict, instability and imbalances, in what economists call the 'natural resource curse". [1531154] A further complication is that religion-linked conflicts in the Middle East are recurring features of the geopolitical landscape for this oil-rich region. 151156] Internationally important conflicts in OPEC's history have included the Six-Day War (1967), Yom Kippur War (1973), a hostage siege directed by Palestinian militants (1975), the Iranian Revolution (1979), Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), Iraqi occupation of Kuwait (1990-1991), September 11 attacks by mostly Saudi hijackers (2001), American occupation of Iraq (2003-2011), Conflict in the Niger Delta (2004-present), Arab Spring (2010-2012), Libyan Crisis (2011-present), and international Embargo against Iran (2012-2016). Although events such as these can temporarily disrupt oil supplies and elevate prices, the frequent disputes and instabilities tend to limit OPEC's long-term cohesion and effectiveness. [157] Market information As one area in which OPEC members have been able to cooperate productively over the decades, the organization has significantly improved the quality and quantity of information available about the international oil market. This is especially helpful for a natural-resource industry whose smooth functioning requires months and years of careful planning. Publications and research In April 2001, OPEC collaborated with five other international organizations (APEC, Eurostat, IEA, OLADE, UNSD) to improve the availability and reliability of oil data. They launched the Joint Oil OSTAT GECF IEA IEF OLADE Data Exercise, which in 2005 was joined by IEF and renamed the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI), covering more than 90 APEC EUROS percent of the global oil market. GECF joined as an eighth partner in 2014, enabling JODI also to cover nearly 90 percent of the global market for natural gas. [158] Since 2007, OPEC has published the "World Oil Outlook" (WOO) annually, in which it presents a comprehensive analysis of the global ORGANISATIONS DATA IN A INITIATIVE OSNn 23do 30 oil industry including medium- and long-term projections for supply and demand. 159 OPEC also produces an "Annual Statistical Logo for JODI, in which OPEC is a Bulletin" (ASB), 16/ and publishes more-frequent updates in its founding member 'Monthly Oil Market Report" (MOMR) 160) and "OPEC Bulletin" [161] Crude oil benchmarks A "crude oil benchmark" is a standardized petroleum product that serves as a convenient reference price for buyers and sellers of crude oil, including standardized contracts in major futures markets since 1983. Benchmarks are used because oil prices differ (usually by a few dollars per barrel) based on variety, grade, delivery date and location, and other legal requirements. [162][163] The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes has been an important benchmark for oil prices since 2000. It is calculated as a weighted average of prices for petroleum blends from the OPEC member countries: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light"Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE), and Merey (Venezuela). [164] 45 Tap Breza Blend WTI Blend North Sea Brent Crude Oil is the leading benchmark for Atlantic basin crude oils, and is used to price approximately two-thirds of the Bonny Light Daqing b Ligh Dubs world's traded crude oil. Other well-known benchmarks are West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Dubai Crude, Oman Crude, and Urals API gravity oil. [165] 20 15 Spare capacity 096 05%4 10%4 15%6 20% 2556 30% 35% 405 The US Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the Sulfur content US Department of Energy, defines spare capacity for crude oil market Sulfur content and API gravity of management "as the volume of production that can be brought on different types of crude oil within 30 days and sustained for at least 90 days... OPEC spare capacity provides an indicator of the world oil market's ability to respond to potential crises that reduce oil supplies."[611 In November 2014, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that OPEC's "effective" spare capacity, adjusted for ongoing disruptions in countries like Libya and Nigeria, was 3.5 million barrels per day 560,000 m'/d) and that this number would increase to a peak in 2017 of 4.6 million barrels per day (730,000 m /d). 166) By November 2015, the IEA changed its assessment "with OPEC's spare production buffer stretched thin, as Saudi Arabia - which holds the lion's share of excess capacity - and its [Persian] Gulf neighbours pump at near-record rates." [167] See also - Energy diplomacy List of countries by oil exports - List of country groupings - List of intergovernmental organizations References 1. "Glossary of Industrial Organization Economics and Competition Law" (http://www.oecd.org/reg reform/sectors/2376087.pdf) (PDF). OECD. 1993. p. 19. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/ 20160304094916/http://www.oecd.org/regreform/sectors/2376087.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2015. 2. "Member Countries" (http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/25.htm). OPEC. Archived (htt ps://web.archive.org/web/20200107050155/https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/25.ht m) from the original on 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020. 3. "OPEC 172nd Meeting concludes" (http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/press_room/4305.htm). OPEC (Press release). 11 March 2019. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2017052721465 7/http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/press_room/4305.htm) from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017